A New Sister
by FalconHawk
Summary: Oriana, the woman Fergus is betrothed to, has arrived at Castle Cousland, and Eebon Cousland is not happy about it... Not. One. Bit!
1. The Antivan

_I've always kind of wondered what kind of relationship Cousland had with Oriana, and so I decided to take a break from _Rise of the Wardens_, do a story along those lines. I really hope you guys like it. As always, please review, I need my writer fuel! Also, if you've read my one-shot, _A Noble Fight_, then you'll probably notice a few inconsistancies between the two stories, but I'm really not worried about that. I don't want to go through the irritation of making sure that all my stories match up exactly, although the Eebon Cousland in this one is the same Eebon from _Rise of the Wardens_, and _A Noble Fight_. Enjoy!_

* * *

The sun was beginning to set over Castle Cousland when the two sons of Cousland rode back through the gates. It was obvious that the two young men were family, brothers in fact. Despite their young age they both shared the same tall stature, and broad shouldered build. Both had dark hair and same steel-hard determination in their eyes and faces, even when they laughed. The oldest was obviously the leader of the two brothers, even as he rode and bounced on the back of his horse, he held himself straight and proud, and there was a noble, almost regal air about him. The youngest brother, while still noble in all appearances held a more relaxed position as he contentedly rode behind his brother. He was slightly more muscular than his older sibling, and while he lacked the noble aura that his brother seemed to possess, he had the look of soldier, and although he was young, his hands had already turned rough and calloused from endless hours of wielding a greatsword.

The brothers reigned in their steeds to a halt as soon as they passed under the gateway arch, and dismounted. Two elven servants, young boys who worked in the stables quickly appeared to take the horses back to their stalls, but sons of Cousland waved them off, saying that they would see to their horses themselves, but handing the young servants several rabbits and pheasants tied together from their hunt, and instructed the boys to take the game to the kitchens.

"A good hunt today!" Fergus, the oldest brother said as he stepped into the stable. "But I must say that your archery skill could use some room for improvement."

"Yes it was." Eebon, the youngest agreed. "And may I defend myself by saying that I am a swordsman, not an archer? We can't all be future teryns destined to sit on our fat arse, and only venture out for the occasional noble hunt!"

"Oh, so that's how it is!" Fergus said in mock anger. "I'll remember that when I make you my commander and you have to salute me every day!"

Eebon chuckled, "Brother," He said, "We both know that I would never salute you!"

Fergus laughed as well. "We'll just see about that!"

The two brothers led their horses back to their stalls and removed their saddles and other equipment, then began the process of cleaning and grooming their beasts. They talked with each other as they did so about the hunt, as well as teasing and joking about how they were the superior brother, the favorite of the family, and how they would be the one to make history and write themself into legend. They had just finished tending their horses, and started to make their way to the back of the stable for a bucket of grain and some hay for their horses when the stable-boys came back.

"My lord!" The older looking of the two elf-boys gasped, still out of breath from his run across the castle grounds.

The two brothers glanced at each other, not knowing which of them the young lad was addressing. "Yes?" They both answered at the same time.

The stable-boy looked up at Fergus, "Your mother said to tell you to… 'Make yourself presentable and meet them in the dining room as quickly as possible'."

The brothers looked at each other again and Fergus asked, "Who is 'them'?"

"I don't know her." The elf shrugged. "A very pretty girl with a very strange accent…" He stopped to take one final gasp of air, then steadied himself, "I've never seen her before, my lord."

"Thank you." Fergus answered, "I'm on my way now. Just make sure that our horses are fed and bedded down for the night, then the both of you may have the rest of the evening off."

The two elves brightened immediately and ran to carry out their new commands. Fergus turned around and began to quickly walk towards his the living area of the castle where he would bathe, and change into more presentable clothes. Dressed in hunting leathers and smelling like horses and sweat was no way for a future teryn to appear. Eebon followed a step behind.

"So I take this is… Orine, or whatever her name was?" Eebon asked.

"Oriana." Fergus corrected him, "And yes, I would imagine so… But what is she doing here this early? She wasn't supposed to arrive for another day or two."

Eebon shrugged. "Getting cold feet already?"

"Hey c'mon Eebon, give me a break!"

Eebon shrugged again. "I still don't know why you decided to go for this whole arranged marriage anyway. Wouldn't you rather be with someone you actually know?"

"Because mother and father know more about this kind of thing." Fergus answered. "Now come-on, let's not keep them waiting."

"Sorry brother…" Eebon grunted, "But you're on own this time."

"Eebon what are you—"

"I think I'm going to head to the study." Eebon interrupted. "I'm a bit behind in reading Champions of Thedas. Be seeing you, Fergus.

* * *

The next morning found Eebon on the parade ground, hacking away with his greatsword at a wooden post about a tall as he was, and probably two feet thick. The idea was not to improve his technique, but merely to strengthen the power behind his blows. He'd been at it for some time already, and had carved away several inches of the hard, oak wood, his mind however was not on the training exercise.

The previous night, when he'd finished reading and left the study, he found Fergus and the girl, Oriana, walking along the cobblestone walkway and heading towards the gardens. Eebon had followed at a distance, not even really knowing why, it wasn't in his nature to spy on anyone, but he had followed anyway. It had been dark by that time, so Eebon couldn't get a good view of what this Oriana really looked like. He also wondered why they would choose to visit the gardens at night, when you couldn't really see much of anything. Eebon had stood in the deep shadows and watched the two of them walk back and forth among the rows of carefully tended flowers. He could only catch brief pieces of conversation, and it sounded like Oriana was asking a lot of questions about their mother, the land around Highever, the people of Highever, what Fergus' plans were when he became teryn, and it all bored Eebon very nearly to tears, but Fergus seemed to be enjoying himself. Every so often, Oriana would stop and pick one of the flowers, allow Fergus to smell it, then they would continue on. After the two of them had traversed the entire garden, the betrothed couple stopped again, and Oriana had handed Fergus the entire bunch of flower she had picked in the last few minutes. Fergus had smelled them yet again, then he'd set the flowers down on one of sitting benches that surrounded the garden.

_"__They're beautiful."_ Fergus had said, _"But not nearly as beautiful as you are."_

From his hiding place in the shadows, Eebon wasn't sure whether to laugh or to gag, but he managed to do neither. Fergus could do better than that! Eebon had heard Fergus do better than that when they'd been out in the city of Highever chasing women and downing ale. However, the girl… Oriana… didn't seem to mind, and she said _"Es usted muy amable."_ There had been a few seconds of confused silence before Oriana said in the common tongue, _"Oh… I'm sorry. I meant to say that you are too kind."_

Eebon slowly started to make his way back to his own room as he felt a wave of nausea strike him, this was absolutely sickening, but then he saw Fergus lean down and kiss her gently. At seeing that, Eebon turned and very nearly tripped over his own feet as he hurriedly made his way back to his own bedroom.

Eebon grunted with the exertion as he swung his greatsword into the post again, woodchips flew helter-skelter as he did so, and he brought the sword back for another swing. His arms were getting tired, but that was another reason he'd chosen to do this particular training exercise, in addition to increasing his muscular strength, it also helped to build better endurance.

"Hola." A voice said behind him while he was in mid-swing. Woodchips flew in all directions again as Eebon pulled the sword out and then rested the tip against the hard packed ground, and turned to face whoever had spoken to him. Somehow he was unsurprised to find Oriana. What did surprise him was that she was alone.

"What?" Eebon said.

"Oh…" Oriana said after an embarrassed moment. "Forgive me, I have not had to speak your language before I arrived her yesterday." Eebon had known that Oriana came from Antiva, but knowing that didn't make it much easier to understand her as her accent was so thick. "You must be Eebon, Fergus' younger brother.

Eebon nodded. "Where is he?"

"He said that he had business with your father and that we would meet again for lunch if not sooner." Oriana answered, and Eebon grunted and turned back to his training, but it seemed that Oriana couldn't take the hint and leave him alone. "Is that sword heavy?" She asked.

Eebon fought the urge not to comment on the stupidity of the question and turned back to Oriana, holding the sword out to her, pommel first. "Take a swing or two and find out."

"I don't think I should do that." Oriana said hesitantly. "In Antiva, women are not _soldados… _what is the word for that… soldiers!"

"You're not in Antiva anymore." Eebon said bluntly, still holding the sword out. "Take a swing. I insist."

Oriana finally accepted the blade and stepped closer to the post, Eebon moved clear and smirked as he saw that Oriana could barely hold the greatsword in the air, and it was pitiful when she tried to swing it. Eebon stepped forward again, trying not to grin, and failing. Oriana said, "Yes, it is heavy." As Eebon took his greatsword back again, Oriana said, "Fergus told me that you are _excelente_ with a sword, and that you want to be a commander someday."

"I do." Eebon grunted as he swung the greatsword into the post again.

"That is truly a noble goal."

Eebon heaved with the sword again, and without turning to look at Oriana, said, "If you say so."

"You really don't like me very much, do you Eebon."

"No."

"Por qué?... I mean why?" Oriana asked innocently. "Is it because I am Antivan?

Eebon grunted as he swung the greatsword into the post a final time, before pulling it out again and leaning it against the post. "No." He said, finally turning to face her. She was bound to find out the truth sooner or later, it might as well be sooner… and Eebon had never been one for subtlety or to hide his feelings. "It's because Fergus is my best friend." He said, fighting not to raise his voice too much. "I know that might seem odd because he's also my brother, but it's true. We've been inseparable since the day I was born, and we've shared everything… the good times and the bad. And now you've come, and you're already driving a wedge between us! I feel like I'm losing both my brother and my best friend in one fell swoop! And that is why I don't like you."

Oriana blinked, perhaps surprised that Eebon had been so straight with her, or maybe just startled by how he felt. After a few moments of awkward silence, Oriana started to leave, and Eebon grabbed his greatsword and began to make his own way towards a hot bath and a good, long soak, nothing felt better after a rigorous training session. But then, Oriana turned and looked at him again, even through her thick accent, it was easy to tell that Eebon's rather harsh words and attitude had saddened her. "You know… This arranged marriage wasn't my idea either."


	2. Not Boys Anymore

Gilmore blocked Eebon's greatsword on his shield, at the same time angling it down so that the massive sword thudded heavily into the ground, as Eebon tried to recover and resume the attack, Gilmore swung his shield into Eebon's shoulder, knocking him off balance, then followed-up by bringing his dulled, tournament sword down across Eebon's back. Eebon yelled out in pain. Although they were only using tournament swords, the dulled edges did nothing to soften the blows, and now Eebon was going to have a nice, swollen welt, and later a big, nasty bruise.

"Are you alright, Eebon?" Gilmore asked. Gilmore was one of the most promising squires at Castle Cousland, and the son of a lesser noble in Highever. He and Eebon had been friends long enough that Gilmore no longer referred to him as 'my lord'.

Eebon straightened back up and grunted. "Yeah, I'm fine. I've been hit worse before, and I'll be hit worse than that again."

"No, I mean are you feeling alright?" Gilmore asked. "You seem distracted today."

Eebon repeated, "Yeah… I'm fine." This time he put more emphasis on the last two words. "Shall we go again?"

"Actually, I've stayed to long already." Gilmore lied. "I have to go attend to my duties. Good-day Eebon."

"Good-day." Eebon nodded. As Gilmore left the parade ground, Eebon walked back to the post he'd been hacking away at a few days previously. Since then he'd almost cut half-way through. Eebon set down the tournament sword and picked up his personal greatsword again, and was soon swinging the massive blade with anger fueled power. His mind was on the events from two nights ago.

* * *

Bryce Cousland and his wife, Eleanor sat at the head of the table. Eebon sat several seats away from them, and immediately across from Fergus, Oriana sat at Fergus' side, and Eebon did his best not to glare at her. Although his older brother and the Antivan had been matched by their parents, Fergus had requested that he be given the final say on whether he actually would marry Oriana or not, and his parents had obliged him that.

At first, Eebon had hoped that Fergus would find Oriana to be incompatible, and would call off the marriage. But after seeing their first kiss, and on same night they had first met no less, Eebon's hopes had started to fall, and in the week since then had fallen only faster and harder. Fergus had been spending virtually every moment of every day with the Antivan, and even a blind man could see that the too two of them were rapidly growing closer. Eebon, on the other hand, had spent much of the last week alone, and spent most of the time either on the parade ground, or out on the countryside, riding his horse and fast and as hard as he could push it. He wasn't used to being alone so much. The time that Fergus had normally spent with him, riding, hunting, sparring, carousing, and just roaming the castle grounds in conversation was now gone.

Across from him, Eebon saw Oriana whisper something in Fergus' ear, then kiss him lightly on the cheek. Fergus' cheeks flushed a light shade of red and he looked at Oriana and nodded, then he cleared his throat loudly before saying, "Father, mother, Eebon… I have an announcement to make."

Eebon felt his hopes crash into the ground so hard they left a crater. He knew what was coming.

Fergus cleared his throat again and turned a couple shades redder before he said, "Today, I asked if Oriana would indeed accept me as a husband, and she has agreed!"

At the head of the table, both Bryce and Eleanor broke into wide grins, and were soon laughing and holding each other in joy. Even the elves and other servants who moved about the dining room set down whatever they might have been carrying so they could applaud the joyous news, some even ran out into the castle to spread the word. And from where he sat, Eebon looked mournfully at Fergus, then adjusted his gaze to glare at Oriana, who at the moment was being held in Fergus' arms, and their lips were locked in another kiss. Before the betrothed couple could part, and before his parents could comment on his lack of appropriate attitude, Eebon stood up and walked as quickly as he could without running towards the exit.

"Eebon, where are you going?" His father, Bryce, called after him.

"To get a damn drink!" Eebon yelled without turning, everyone heard him yell again from outside the dining room "A lot of damn drinks!"

It was well after midnight by the time the servants Bryce sent to look for Eebon found him. And they found him in one of seediest taverns in all of Highever, so drunk that he couldn't form a coherent sentence, and was utterly incapable of walking. Getting him on his horse had been quite a chore, and once that was done, the only way the servants could keep him from falling off was to tie him to the saddle.

The next day, when Eebon had finally woken up he was far too hung over to do anything but lay in bed and groan about how badly his head hurt. Eleanor forbade the herbalist from helping him.

* * *

Eebon finished his training session for the day, and was just about to make his way to another hot bath when he saw Fergus coming straight at him, fists clenched at his sides. "Good afternoon my brother!" Fergus said in a happy sounding voice, then brought a fist back flung it with full force into Eebon's jaw. Eebon didn't fall, he only staggered backwards, one hand covering his now aching jaw.

"That was for two nights ago!" Fergus yelled. "For making Oriana feel the way you did after you stormed off, and for embarrassing me in front of her and in front of mother and father! What in the Fade is wrong with—"

Eebon roared and charged his older sibling, ramming his shoulder into Fergus' stomach and pushing him to the ground. Eebon leapt at him, setting free all of the pent of anger, and loss, and frustration he'd been bottling up since the day Oriana had arrived, but as Eebon flew through the air, Fergus got his legs up and landed a double kick to Eebon's mid-section, knocking the wind out of him and pushing him backwards. The two brothers both rose from the ground at the same time and charged each other, yelling like a pair of wild barbarians. Over the next few minutes, the two brothers traded blows back and forth across the parade ground. Eebon was larger and stronger than his older brother, but was also still suffering the after effects from his night of binge drinking, and was already weakened from his rigorous daily training, which gave Fergus something of an advantage, but at the same time, Fergus lacked the advanced combat training that Eebon had been receiving for the last few years.

Eventually the two brothers both stopped, and stood stooped over, hands on their knees, each gasping for breath and glaring at each other. "Eebon…" Fergus said between ragged gasps, made even more difficult from the brutal beating that Eebon had delivered to his ribs, "Why exactly are we fighting?"

Eebon let out a ragged laugh, then grimaced and held his freshly bruised abdomen. "You know… I really don't remember."

Fergus pushed himself up with some effort until he was standing straight up again, even with a bleeding mouth, a black eye, and bruised face, he somehow managed to look noble and authoritative. "I think I remember." Fergus said as he walked back over to Eebon and helped him straighten up again. "It's because you've been a real ass lately. What exactly is wrong with you?"

Eebon touched his nose to wipe away the blood and groaned loudly, realizing his nose was broken. "I'm losing a brother." He said unhappily. "You've been my best friend as long as I can remember, and you've always been the one I look up to… and if you tell anyone that, I'll kill you!" Eebon grinned through bloodied lips. "And now I'm losing you, and I don't want that. I want things to stay how they've always been."

"Eebon…" Fergus said in an annoyed voice, and shaking his head sadly. "If that's really all that's bothering you, then you're an idiot! Did you really think that it would last forever? We are Couslands! The lords and guardians of Highever, and one of the proudest families in all of Ferelden… and here we are fighting like a couple of Orlesians over the last custard pastry! I'm going to be teryn someday, we've both known that for our entire lives… do you think we could still have our boyish fun and games when that happens? And you say that you want to be the commander of Highever's army! You can't have it both ways Eebon! We're not boys anymore, we are men now! And as such, we have to start taking steps towards our destinies."

Eebon hung his head. There were no holes in his brother's logic, and Eebon quickly realized just how foolish he'd been acting since the minute Oriana had first arrived. "I know." He said quietly. "You're right Fergus… just like you always are."

"Glad you know that much!" Fergus said, laughing despite his bruised ribs, which then provoked a short grunt of pain. "Now unless you have some sort of pressing business, you really need to come with me to the stables. Me and Oriana went out to the marketplace today and she found something for you that I think you'll really enjoy. Come-on."

"Hey Fergus," Eebon said as they started moving, "Why is fighting such a good way to settle a dispute?"

* * *

"Dios mío, qué te ha pasado?!" Oriana exclaimed as the two brothers walked into the stable. '_My god, what happened to you?!_' Then she realized she'd just spoken in Antivan again and corrected herself, "I mean, what happened?"

Fergus grinned and said, "You won't believe it, but when I found Eebon, he'd been set upon by a pack of Orlesian assassins, and so I had to run in and save him."

Eebon chuckled and nodded, "Yeah… just like he said."

Oriana scowled and shook her head in disbelief. It was painfully obvious that they two siblings had fought each other, and she had a pretty good idea why, but was too well cultured and polite to bring it up. She delicately touched Fergus' bruised face, and Fergus sucked in air through gritted teeth, but let her continue to examine him. Once she was finally done with that, and sending a glare at Eebon, Oriana walked back to the stall she'd been standing by when the two brothers first arrived.

Eebon and Fergus both followed. The horse stall was now filled with an ample amount of straw, and a black and white border collie laid on top of the straw, contentedly looking down at the litter of infant puppies that nursed from her. The dog's name was Alice, and she belonged to one of the shepherds who tended the Cousland's livestock. Only a week ago, Alice had given birth to a litter of six puppies, all black and white just like her, but now that Eebon counted, there were seven puppies, and the seventh was obviously not a border collie. The seventh puppy was covered in all brown fur, and had a short, stubby tail.

"Is that a…" Eebon started.

"A mabari?" Fergus finished. "Yes it is."

Oriana relayed the story. "When we were in the market today, there was a group of Ash Warriors who had stopped to rest for a day. One of them had a marbari who had given birth to a litter of her own pups a few days ago, but one had been born a runt, and the Ash Warriors were talking about how they should drown it as he could never been a true war hound, and would only be a worthless mouth to feed."

Fergus finished. "As soon as they said the words, 'drown it', Oriana practically snatched it right out of their hands and informed me that we were taking it back with us. I told her about the history of mabari, and how they're renowned warriors in their own right, and she suggested that it would make an excellent gift for you, given your passion for soldiery."

"You… you got me a mabari?" Eebon said in disbelief. "My very own mabari war hound?"

"Yes." Oriana confirmed.

"But like they said," Fergus interjected, "It's a runt, so it's unlikely that it will be on the front lines for any of the legendary battles that I know you dream of. And it might not even imprint on you."

Eebon ignored all the naysay from his brother, and entered the stall to kneel by Alice, gently taking the infant mabari pup from her. Alice barred her teeth and let out a low growl in warning not to harm the puppy, but took no other action. Eebon gently stroked the tiny dog from neck to tail with a single finger. It was so young that its eyes were still closed. "He's a he." Eebon announced. "Not an it. And his name is Dune." Eebon raised the tiny Dune until their faces were only inches way from each other. Dune squirmed forward in Eebon's hands until their noses were touching. The tiny pup rubbed its infant nose against Eebon's, then opened his mouth and let loose a tiny squeak, Eebon chuckled under his breath, and the pup began to lick the tip of his nose.

Fergus and Oriana both looked on happily as Eebon returned the puppy to Alice. "Would you look at that?" Fergus said, "He doesn't even had his eyes open yet, and I think he already imprinted on Eebon."

Eebon grinned, even though it hurt his face to do so, then his smile disappeared as he had to swallow his pride before speaking. "Thank you, Oriana. That might be the best and most thoughtful gift I have ever received."

"You really like him that much?" Oriana asked, and Eebon nodded. "Then you are welcome, of course."

Eebon glanced towards the back of the stable at his horse, then back at Oriana and asked, "Can you ride?"

"_Si,_ of course I can ride."

Eebon laughed again, "Fergus why didn't you tell me that? We should have all gone riding days ago! Come-on! Saddle up, and let's go!"

Although Oriana could indeed ride, Eebon soon found out to his dismay that she had only learned how to ride sidesaddle, as it was considered more ladylike. It also meant that she couldn't put her horse into full gallop for fear of being bounced out, and Eebon was forced to sacrifice the speed that he loved so much for the sake of riding alongside his brother and soon to be sister. As the three of them returned once more to Castle Cousland, Eebon nudged Fergus and told him that it was up to him to teach Oriana how to 'really ride'.


	3. A New Sister

Fergus and Oriana's wedding wasn't set for another two months. Eebon and Fergus would joke with each other about how the time was meant for them to recover from their fight, and for the bruises to have time to disappear. But it was really because the wedding was intended to be a grand affair and invitations had to be sent all over Ferelden, as well as back to Antiva. During that time, Eebon and Fergus once more grew close, although they would never again be inseparable as they had been before. The hunting and sparring became much more infrequent, and the carousing stopped altogether. Riding on the other hand became an almost everyday activity for the sons of Cousland and Oriana, whether it was only for a few minutes, or for several hours. Fergus and Eebon slowly managed to teach a somewhat reluctant Oriana how to ride with a regular saddle, and it wouldn't be until several weeks later that Oriana finally became comfortable enough to put her horse into a full gallop, and her mount was as unused to it as she was. Eebon had laughed with the familiar exhilaration as his own black gelding shot ahead of the other two.

The marbari pup, Dune, grew rapidly, soon surpassing the border collie puppies in both size and strength, as well as intelligence, and it wasn't long before the young dog was strutting around the castle like he owned it. In less than two months, he'd left the small, runty size far behind, and had grown into what one would expect a young mabari to look like. From the moment Dune could walk, he and Eebon were practically joined at the hip, and the puppy followed his master everywhere, even watching with an unusual amount of interest whenever Eebon began training with his greatsword. The only time Dune could not accompany Eebon was when Eebon departed for one of his frequent rides with Oriana and Fergus, and when that happened, Dune would wait patiently at the castle gate for his beloved master to come back.

When the day of the wedding finally came, the main chantry in Highever was full to bursting, as nobles and their entire families and entourages poured in to witness the wedding of Fergus Cousland, who was destined to become the second most powerful man in Ferelden. It also made Eebon wonder how many of the nobles were mere sycophants, and were only trying to mark themselves in the future teryn's memory. There was also a large number of Antivans as well, Oriana's family, friends of the family, as well as good number of her more personal friends.

Eebon sat and watched with muted amusement in one of the back rooms as Fergus fidgeted and was helped into his wedding suit by a body servant, Eebon was already helping himself to the wine that was meant for _after_ the wedding.

"And just how exactly am I supposed to get out of this?" Fergus complained.

Eebon finished his first glass and started on the second one. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about that…" He muttered. "You know as soon as you get away from the public eye, then Oriana's going to start ripping it off."

"Eebon!" Fergus almost yelled.

"What?" Eebon said innocently.

"Would you mind not talking about that… and would you stop drinking?! That's meant for after the wedding."

Eebon quickly guzzled down the second glass of wine, but refrained from pouring a third. "Hey, you wanted me to be standing up there with you in front of Maker-knows how many people, and I agreed, but don't expect me to do it completely sober… and to the Fade with wine, it should be good strong whiskey. Andraste's holy knickers do I hate weddings!"

"How would you know? This is your first one."

"Yeah… And I already hate it, so it stands to reason that I hate weddings."

"Eebon…" Fergus said again in an annoyed voice, "Isn't there something else you can do?"

"Not really." Eebon set a bowl on the floor and poured a small amount of wine into it. Dune quickly dashed over and began lapping it up.

"Eebon!" Now Fergus was yelling, "For the love of… Dune was only weaned a couple days ago, and you're already giving him wine?" Eebon grinned but intelligently remained silent this time. "Tell you what…" Fergus said, "Why don't you get out of here and go check on Oriana?"

"_Huh?" _Eebon grunted, not expecting that request. "What am I supposed to do to check on her? Make sure she's still breathing? Make sure she's not helping herself to the wine? Make sure that—"

"Just go!" Fergus commanded.

"Going." Eebon said as he stood up and slapped his leg for Dune to follow, which the mabari immediately did.

Once he was gone, Fergus breathed with relief. He was nervous enough as it was, and Eebon wasn't making things any easier. He glanced at the servant, who was still fussing over the suit. He smirked, "Eebon will never get past the maids. There's more than one way to get rid of a brother!"

"Yes sir." The servant said, then stepped back to look at the suit. "I believe you are ready sir."

Fergus nodded and studied himself in a mirror, then glanced at the open bottle of wine that Eebon had left behind when he departed. "Actually, pour me a glass of that wine… then I'll be ready." The servant sighed happily and shook his head as he obeyed. "It's just to calm the nerves!" Fergus explained as he downed it.

"Of course, sir."

* * *

Contrary to what Fergus had thought, Eebon had no trouble getting past the maids, who were mostly Oriana's friends. In fact he rather enjoyed the looks they gave him, and the quiet whispers as he made his way past them. Dune wasn't so lucky and was quickly snatched up, and fawned over. Eebon chuckled as he knocked on the door in front of him.

"_Si?_" Oriana's voice called out.

"It's Eebon." He answered, and almost hoped that he would be sent away.

"Oh Eebon… good. Please come in."

He hadn't been expecting that response. As he made his way inside, and closed the door behind him, Eebon found Oriana seated somewhat awkwardly and wearing the most beautiful and most elaborate white dress he'd ever seen. It must have trailed at least ten feet behind her if not more. Eebon quickly shook himself out of his near trance and said, "You look beautiful."

"Thank you." Oriana replied instinctively, and Eebon could tell that her mind was somewhere else.

"Fergus asked me to come and check on you… I really don't know what he expected me to do."

"Oh… that was thoughtful of him."

"Oriana… are you alright?" Eebon said, finding himself to genuinely be concerned.

Oriana sighed. "There really is not turning back now, is there?"

"Oh, I don't know about that." Eebon said as he made his way to another bottle of wine and pried off the cork, then poured two glasses and handed one to Oriana. "You could climb out the window, commandeer one of the carriages and escape to the Free Marches." Oriana chuckled. Eebon said, "Why do you ask… you're not regretting this are you?"

"No." Oriana answered. "I was just… thinking."

"About what?"

"A lot of things. Like how after today, Antiva will never be my home again, and I will miss all the sights and smells and experiences that made up my old life. And how I can't help but feel like I'm being given away by my family… like I said before, this arranged marriage wasn't my idea. And then about how much I've come to love Fergus, and Highever as well. Even though it does smell like wet dog all the time."

"Things change." Eebon answered, as he topped off both their glasses again. "That's certainly true. But like Fergus told me. We're not boys anymore, and you're not a little girl. We grow up, and we take on new lives, and new responsibilities. And I really wouldn't think that you're losing anything. Your family will still be there, as will Antiva, and it's not like you'll never see them again. I'm sure that Fergus would more than happy to visit Antiva with you, and as for losing your family…" Eebon had to stop and drain his glass again, Oriana chuckled again as he did so.

"When you first arrived here, you know that I didn't like you at all, because I felt that you were stealing my brother from me. But eventually I came to accept the fact that Fergus was going to get married no matter what I did, and that I wasn't going to lose a brother… I was going to gain a sister instead."

"You really mean that?" Oriana said as she looked up at him.

"Yes…" Eebon said, "And I will be honored to have you join the family." Then he smirked and said, "But if you'd like to escape out the window and make a run for the Free Marches, then I'll even give you a hand with that."

Oriana laughed again and stood up. "_Gracias,_ Eebon. Thank you. But I think I will go through with this after all." She lightly hugged her almost brother.

"So are you ready to get married now?"

Oriana smiled and nodded happily.

"Good!" Eebon poured himself one last glass of wine and drained it just as quickly, then said. "I told Fergus I'm not going to go through with this completely sober… and I salute both of you for having the courage to stay sober… I guess I better go get him and tell him you're ready." Eebon grinned, "And if I leave Dune in the hands of your friends much longer then he's going to turn into another pampered house pet."


	4. Epilogue - Never Getting Married

"Hello Eebon."

Eebon turned find Alfstanna standing behind him. "Hello Alfstanna. It's good to see you again. I don't think I saw you at the wedding."

Alfstanna shrugged. "I was in the back, so I could make a break for the exit as soon as it was over… I hate weddings."

"Me too." Eebon chuckled, "How many was that for you?"

"That was my first." Alfstanna grinned.

Eebon laughed again, "Mine too… Holy Maker… how do people actually like this kind of stuff? I would be on the parade ground myself, but of course it's full of revelers right now."

"Shame, shame." Alfstanna said sarcastically. "So what do you think of your new sister?"

"She's not bad. Actually I'm really starting to like her. But the real thing she's managed to teach me throughout this whole ordeal is that I never want to get married."

"Boy, you said it." Alfstanna agreed.

Eebon was silent for a few moments and took the opportunity to briefly study his friend. He wasn't used to seeing her all dressed up, and actually looking like a noble, and he imagined that Alfstanna felt the same way about himself. Normally when the two young nobles met, they were wearing far more common clothing, or Eebon would be wearing heavy chainmail and Alfstanna would be sporting a suit of studded leather armor. But now she wearing a purple and teal dress that Eebon was forced to find absolutely stunning, especially as the upper half hugged her lean frame.

"Wow…" Eebon said before he even realized the word had left his mouth. "You look really beautiful!... _Erm_… I mean… nice dress."

Alfstanna rolled her eyes, but couldn't hide the slight blush. "Thank you." She muttered, and her own eyes moved up and down the navy blue and dark, forest green suit that Eebon wore, the Cousland colors, and she noted his muscles pressed against the fabric in some places. "You look… handsome was well… I suppose."

Eebon groaned and drained the glass of wine he'd been holding.

The minstrels finished the song they'd been playing, and after a brief round of applause, they started another. Of course it would have to be a slow song.

Eebon pulled on his collar with two fingers and swallowed before asking. "Would you like to dance?"

Alfstanna arched her eyebrows at him. "You actually know how?"

"Hey! Don't look at me that way! I didn't have a choice in the matter."

"Same here." Alfstanna said, "And no I don't want to dance… absolutely not!"

Eebon sighed with relief. "Me neither." He said.

After another minute or so, Alfstanna asked, "So how did you learn to dance anyway?"

"Mother insisted. She said the son of a teryn needed to be fully cultured."

"Kind of the same story here." Alfstanna said, then she sighed and said. "I suppose one dance would be alright… but only because I'm bored and there's nothing else to do right now."

"Oh absolutely!" Eebon replied and offered Alfstanna his arm.

* * *

_So what did you think? I decided to throw Alfstanna in there at the end, because if you've read _A Noble Fight_, then you'll know that the two of them are already good friends. And mostly because I thought the dialogue between Eebon and Alfstanna was hilarious. Please review._


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